What is the Tomatometer®?

The Tomatometer rating – based on the published opinions of hundreds of film and
television critics – is a trusted measurement of movie and TV programming quality
for millions of moviegoers. It represents the percentage of professional critic reviews
that are positive for a given film or television show.

From the Critics

From RT Users Like You!

Fresh

The Tomatometer is 60% or higher.

Rotten

The Tomatometer is 59% or lower.

Certified Fresh

Movies and TV shows are Certified Fresh with a steady Tomatometer of 75% or
higher after a set amount of reviews (80 for wide-release movies, 40 for
limited-release movies, 20 for TV shows), including 5 reviews from Top Critics.

Inexplicably nominated for Best Picture Oscar, Norman Jewison's situation comedy is mildly amusing, benefiting from a catchy title and allowing Alan Arkin to sport a Russian accent as sailor of a Soviet submarine.

It skewers hawkish reactionism and mob militancy, and its sympathetic portrayal of the beached Russians -- not to mention the panicky buffoonery of the Americans -- probably gave the more rabid Commie-haters conniptions.

Audience Reviews for The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming

This is enormously funny. It goes to prove that you don't need to treat the Cold War as a reenactment of Red Dawn and its remakes. The entire cast are fabulous and this is a true ensemble comedy.

John Ballantine

Super Reviewer

½

Over the top send-up of the Cold War has its moments wherein the paranoia of the times makes for some amusement as Russian sailors "invade" Cape Cod. Arkin is the reason to see this, altho Winters, Keith and Ford aid in the effort. A dated piece however.

Kevin M. Williams

Super Reviewer

An intriguing look into the Cold War's true impact on American life, a bewildered Carl Reiner and an equally misplaced Alan Arkin made for a barrel full of laughs.

Spencer S.

Super Reviewer

A cold war comedy that was nominated for best picture in 1966. Tells the story of 9 Russian sailors whose submarine runs a ground on a small Massachusetts resort Island (not unlike the Island in Jaws). They try to get a boat to de-ground their sub, but word gets around that they?re on the Island and it causes a full scale panic. There are a lot of amusing moments here, it wasn?t an all out laugh fest, but still very amusing. Alan Arkin is great as the Russian captain, and Brian Keith is really good as the rational town sheriff. The film depicts the tensions between America and Russia in a humorous way, but in the end it?s just Dr. Strangelove Lite, really Lite. It also could have used about fifteen minutes in trimming, but for the most part it was pretty amusing.